No Longer Hidden
by pandorabox82
Summary: Everyone thinks that Andy and Sharon are still a couple. Andrea finds herself bothered by this more than she should be, especially after Sharon gets punched by a perp. But will they both have the courage to make their relationship public?


Andrea had to school her features so as not to reveal just how badly she wanted to rush from the room and beat that slimy bastard to a pulp. With her shoe. And perhaps cut his balls off with a dull butter knife and then feed them to him raw. But if she did that, then everyone in the squad would know about her relationship with Sharon, and that was the last thing either of them wanted. Still, she was glad that Rusty and Julio were between her and the door, providing her a buffer of bodies to keep her in place.

Sharon looked up at the camera, giving it a small wink that somehow Andrea knew was meant for her, even as Andy tore from the room and then was pinning the perp against the wall, only for Sharon to tell him to back down, her eyes continually darting up to said camera, as if to assure her that she was okay.

Finally, she felt that it was okay to leave the room and head over to the interview room, just as Sharon and Andy were coming out. Rusty was already by her side as well, and she fought the urge to reach out and clasp her partner's hand. "Do we have enough to hold him now?" Sharon asked, her eyes searching Andrea's. She gave a small nod as her ears filled with blood, blocking out the sound of Andy's response. Rusty gave her an odd look before following after them, and she shook her head a little as she went to make a few calls to her boss.

As soon as that was complete, she made her way to Sharon's office, finding Andy and her talking quietly as she held an ice pack to her cheek. "Oh, Andrea, did you need something?" he asked, not taking his hand off Sharon's shoulder. A small part of Andrea tried not to roll her eyes at the possessive gesture, knowing that it was still reflexive for him, that he was still in a fragile place after his heart attack, but she was still a bit jealous.

"I need to talk to Sharon, Andy." She gave him a tight smile as he got up, squeezing Sharon's shoulder gently before he left the room. Once the door was closed, Andrea went to flip the blinds, shutting them off from the squad room. "Honey…"

"It's not as bad as it looks, I swear."

"And you knew exactly what buttons to push. Did…"

"Did Jack ever hit me?" she interrupted before Andrea could finish her question, and she gave a small nod. Sharon patted the corner of her desk, and Andrea made her way over to her partner's side, taking a seat and watching her with concerned eyes. "Andrea, please, don't look at me like that. You'll make me cry, and that will make this worse."

"And I suppose a kiss is completely out of the question at the moment. It would pull at your skin too much." Sharon dipped her head a little, tears glistening in her eyes as she looked away from Andrea. "Well, I can still do this," she murmured as she leaned in and pressed her lips to Sharon's forehead, breathing in the sweet scent of her perfume. "Come home with me tonight?"

"And leave Andy and Rusty alone together?"

They chuckled in unison, and then Sharon winced, pressing the icepack to her cheek a little more firmly. "Sorry, honey, I forgot how that would affect you." Reaching up, she stroked Sharon's good cheek lightly before cupping her chin and pressing a light peck against her lips as the doorknob began to rattle. It wasn't until she heard the light gasp behind them that she sprang back from Sharon, glancing over her shoulder to see Julio in the doorway, his eyes wide with shock.

"I am so sorry," he stammered as he began to back out of the room, and Andrea bit her lip a little as she looked towards Sharon. "I'll just…"

"Stay, Julio. I guess that this particular cat is out of the bag."

Andrea stood and smoothed her jacket over her torso as she turned to face the lieutenant, her eyes tracking across his face as she tried to suss out just what he was thinking. "I was just coming to tell ADA Hobbs that the DA has sent over what he feels is an appropriate deal for Mister Day."

"Ah, excellent. Thank you, Julio," Sharon said as she, too, stood. Andrea jumped a little when the woman rested her arm around her waist, pulling her closer. "And I would kindly ask that you not go spreading this around to the others. We're still trying to take things gently here."

Julio nodded, giving them a tiny smile. "I just want you to be happy, ma'am."

Andrea felt herself relax a little, letting her head tilt towards Sharon's as she smiled. "That's all we really want as well," she murmured before stepping away from Sharon. "I'm going to get the information from the DA. I'll be right back."

Since Julio already knew about them, she felt free to turn her head and press her lips against the crown of Sharon's head before heading towards the door and slipping out into the squad room. The others were milling around Provenza's desk, and she nodded to the older man as she went over to the printer, dropping some change into the jar that he held out as she picked up the information that had been sent over.

"Well, this is good news indeed. Here's hoping Mister Day accepts the deal."

"How long?" Tao asked, Sikes nodding in clear interest.

"Twenty five to life. He won't be seeing the light of day as a free man ever again, God willing."

Andy nodded tightly, and she wondered if he somehow knew about the tender relationship that she and Sharon had forged from the ashes of theirs. "That's always a good thing to hear about scum like him. Did you and Sharon get everything worked out?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, she's heading over to my place tonight for an impromptu girl's night. Sometimes, all you need is the TLC of your girlfriend after getting clocked in the jaw by an asshole." He nodded tightly as he got up to follow her into the interrogation room. It didn't take long to hammer out the details of the deal, and then they were getting up.

"I can tell Sharon about the deal if you want to head home and get things ready." There was a low undercurrent to his voice, and she fixed her gaze on him, taking in the rigid way he was standing. "You don't need to hide from us, you know. The team can handle the fact that we broke up and that Sharon is seeing someone new."

"I'm not trying to hide this away, but we both decided to take things slowly."

"We took things slowly, too, and it might have been the wrong thing. I don't want to horn in on your relationship, but make the first move here. I waited for her to lead, and I think that's what did us in, in the end. That, and her having to look after me."

"Well, you were quite the difficult patient," she teased, needing to put a buffer between them in that moment. Andy shrugged a little as he relaxed, as if she had passed some test of his. "But I think that I'll go with you, if you don't mind. It's good to spend time with people who know Sharon well. There are things I'm still learning about her," she murmured as they made their way out into the hall.

"She likes to keep her secrets," Andy replied evenly as he rested his hand on the small of her back, guiding her back to Sharon's office. "I don't think she opens up to anyone, not after the way that Jack treated her. She had to be self-sufficient for so long that the idea of confiding in another person, even a lover, is somewhat foreign."

Andrea nodded as she knocked softly on Sharon's door, waiting for an answer. "Come in!" Andrea gestured for Andy to enter first, and he gave her a small smile as he went in. She took up the rear, closing the door before striding over to Sharon's side and leaning against her file cabinet. "I take it that you have good news for me?"

"I do. Mister Day's attorney agreed to the deal, and he'll be spending the next twenty five years behind bars. Hopefully, it will be longer, but it all depends on his behavior and if there is any overcrowding in his prison."

Sharon grimly chuckled as she stood, tugging her jacket down a little as she stood. Glancing between Andy and Andrea, it seemed as if she was trying to decide something. Andrea gave her a soft smile, and that was all it took for Sharon to relax a little and lean in, kissing Andrea softly before tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "All right, I'll go tell Fritz about that. I'll see you at home?"

"Yes," Andrea replied softly before glancing over at Andy, sighing a little to see the sad look that crossed his face before he could reset his expression into a genial mask. "Do you want me to pick up anything?"

"Some of that ice cream we had last week. You remember what it was, right?" Andrea nodded. "Good. I shouldn't be more than another hour." Sharon gave her a small nod before slipping from the room and Andrea had to keep from sighing once more as she watched her go.

"You already share a favorite ice cream?"

"It's a lavender and honey confection," she murmured, feeling a rush of embarrassment sweep over her. "I found it at this little independent grocer by my home, and picked up a few different flavors of ice cream, since so many sounded good. That was the one that Sharon decided was hers."

Andy chuckled a little, which soon grew into a hearty laugh, and Andrea couldn't help but start to laugh along, even though she wasn't quite certain what she was laughing about. "I haven't had ice cream in six months. And she goes and lands on a favorite with you," he said through his laughter. She nodded, finally understanding his mirth. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Andrea nodded and picked up her briefcase, following him from the office, making certain to turn the lights off before closing the door. Again, Andy rested his hand on the small of her back, and the respectful gesture helped reassure her that things were perhaps going to be all right between them all in the end. Which was all she really wanted, in the long run.

Julio looked up from his desk, giving them an almost odd look, but Andrea shook her head a tiny bit before smiling, which seemed to reassure him a little. He gave her a nod in return before focusing on his computer monitor once more and she let out a soft sigh of happiness. "Do you think that everyone will understand how Sharon swapped one Andy for another?" she suddenly asked as they stepped onto the elevator.

"If they make noise, I'll do my best to remind them that our private lives are just that, private, and Sharon is a grown woman who makes her own decisions. Even if I don't completely understand this particular one. I thought that we were going to last."

"I expected you to, for what it's worth. I never thought that my silly crush would ever be reciprocated. But when I was there for her to vent to, getting out her fear and hurt and frustration over your heart attack, things just shifted on their axis. I waited for her to make the first move. I didn't want to hurt you, because you are genuinely a nice person."

"Andrea, stop. You've been a couple for six weeks now. There's no need to constantly apologise still." She gave him a small smile before nodding. "And honestly, I just want her happy, in the long run. That's the thing that matters most to me."

"You and me, both, honestly." She turned to look at him, knowing that she had to address the elephant in the room while they were alone. "I can't help but be jealous of you, when you touch Sharon so familiarly. We can't have that. Can you imagine the uproar if the general public knew that the captain of Major Crimes and an ADA were in a relationship? It would look like we're in collusion, and both our careers would be in jeopardy."

He nodded, sympathy clouding his vision. "I get that. Our relationship was a least somewhat kosher, since our ranks didn't really interfere with protocol. And I'll try to keep a lookout for you both. Even though we're not together, I'll always care for her."

Andrea let out a soft breath as she nodded in response. "Thanks, Andy." The rest of their ride was quiet, though she did smile a little wider when he patted her upper arm before stepping out of the elevator and making his way out to the parking lot. She decided to give him a small buffer before heading out herself, and so she stepped into a quiet alcove and pulled out her phone. _That went better than I was expecting. I'll stop and get the ice cream, and maybe some wine? I love you._

She pressed send before she could chicken out, having taken Andy at his word to make the first bold move. Still, she felt the nervous flutter of butterflies in the pit of her stomach as she awaited Sharon's response. When it wasn't immediately forthcoming, Andrea slipped the phone back into her pocket and trudged out to her car, giving a half-hearted wave to Lieutenant Tao as he drove off.

Settling behind the wheel of her vehicle, she stuck the phone into the center console before driving off in the direction of the grocery store. One way or another, she was going to have delicious ice cream that evening. Andrea turned up the radio, singing along to jazz standards as she drove, trying like crazy to not glance at her phone every ten seconds. Somehow, she made it to the store in one piece and drifted down to the ice cream aisle, feeling like she was on autopilot. Just as she was about to open the door of the correct freezer, her phone buzzed, and she looked at the display.

 _Make certain you pick up a nice red. Maybe a Shiraz? I love you, too_

Andrea felt a silly smile slip across her lips as she nodded. _I was starting to get a little worried there for a second._

There was a short pause before she saw the grey bubble pop up on her display, telling her that Sharon was typing. _Fritz had some words of warning for me regarding Winnie. I'll tell you more when I get home. Oh, and how about making it two bottles of Shiraz?_

 _You've got it, Sharon._ She smiled as she slipped the phone back into her pocket, opening the door to the freezer and taking out two containers of their ice cream. From there, she went to the wine section and hunted around until she found a good vintage of Shiraz, picking up two bottles and placing them in her basket. Making her way up to the front to pay, Andrea couldn't help but hum a little with pleasure as she went. A part of her felt so free now that things between her and Sharon were no long quite so hidden, and she only hope that things would continue to go just as well in their relationship.


End file.
